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Raw Bytes Computer News KPBX FM 91.1 Radio National Public Radio Network Frank Delaney Producer Broadcast on Wednesday Morning 7:35 AM During Morning Edition Support Public Radio ! The Theater Of the Mind |
In computer news this week 02/21
/2007 |
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Can you
see AND hear me now ? A review of the new Microsoft Lifecams designed to work
with Windows Live Messenger I
remember going to a technology show back in the 1970’s, and one of the
items demonstrated was a telephone that would allow you to see the
person you were talking to in black and white slow motion video capture. It
would take a single picture and display it for about a minute, and then take
a new picture. One of the reasons for the slowness was the speed of the
telephone line. This videophone sold for over $ 1000 and never really caught
on. But the
idea of being able to talk to someone far away and see them at the same time
is a wonderful concept, and now it’s here. Imagine what you can do with
this technology ! Web cams
have been around for many years now, which have allowed people to take and
exchange pictures on the internet. But now
Microsoft has introduced its own line of Lifecams
– designed to work with Microsoft
Windows Live Messenger – which is a free part of Windows –
and now the concept of being able to talk to someone – and see them at
the same time – is now a very low cost
reality. You really have to see
this technology to let your imagination run with what you can do with this
either on a personal or business level. Amazon is
selling the top of the line Microsoft
VX-6000 Lifecam with a mail-in rebate for only
$ 61.00. This is a
high resolution full color webcam with a built-in microphone that plugs into
a USB slot on your desktop computer, and installs easily with its own
software. If you
have a laptop computer you need the Laptop
NX-6000 Lifecam for $ 73.00. Then you
just create a free Microsoft
Windows Live Messenger – Account and create a screen
name and password for yourself, and then make your friends or clients aware
of what your Instant Messenger Screen Name is, and learn what theirs are. Then you
can call them, or they can call you, and you can talk with anyone in the word
in realtime, and see them in real time full color ! No long
distance charges, no muss no fuss; just full motion
video and sound of the person you’re talking to. It truly
is wonderful, and the possibilities of this technology are mind boggling. You can now
literally reach out and touch – and see and hear – anyone in the
world. The only
requirement technical requirement is that you do need to have a high speed
internet connection, DSL or better, but it works fine on DSL. I can
truly see this technology changing business and personal communication
forever. And of
course on those bad hair days, you can choose to just talk and not have the
other person see you, or you can even just type to each other. For those
of you that have laptop computers with a wireless network in your home, you
can even walk around and use your laptop Lifecam as
a roaming camera. There’s online demonstrations of the Lifecams
on both the Amazon
and Microsoft
websites. This is
one of the most exciting technologies I have seen in the PC industry, and
anyone with a computer can afford and should consider this technology. For Raw Bytes This is Frank Delaney (C) 2007 MTA Micro
Technology Associates http://www.mtamicro.com/kpbx.html PO Box 31522 Spokane, Wa 99223-1522 (509)624-7230 |
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